


smile like you do

by vatonages



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-01-18
Packaged: 2019-10-12 04:55:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17461013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vatonages/pseuds/vatonages
Summary: Jaemin thinks Mark and Jeno act more like friends than boyfriends, and Jeno feels like Jaemin is an idiot, but he might be an idiot with a point.





	smile like you do

“Hyung,” Jeno asks, his head hanging upside down off Mark’s bed. He should really sit up. He can feel the blood rushing to his head and he’s getting a headache, not to mention the tension in his neck.

 

“Yeah?” Mark responds, not looking up from the essay he’s typing. 

 

“Do you think we’re boring?” Jeno asks, finally sitting up. His eyes are curious and wide when he looks at Mark, lips in something like a pout. He looks like a puppy when he looks like this.

 

“Yeah,” Mark says, without even thinking about it. It sparks a shocked laugh from Jeno that makes Mark look up.

 

“Sorry, was I supposed to lie? You hate lying.” Jeno catches his breath.

 

“It’s not that, I just didn’t expect you to be so blunt. Is that bad though?”

 

“What, being boring?” Jeno nods. Mark thinks about it for a second, stops typing. “Not for me? I like being boring, and you know, being boring with you.” Jeno chooses not to acknowledge that last part out of shyness or embarrassment or both, but it still causes his heart to swell with warmth. He crawls up to Mark’s side. He knows Mark is working on a paper, and Mark made that abundantly clear before Jeno came over, cautioning him that he might not be able to hold a conversation really well and it was nothing personal. But Jeno is understanding and he used to not get why people said they liked just being with their boyfriend or girlfriend even if it meant doing nothing, but now he does.

 

Jeno lays his head against Mark’s shoulder, careful not to inhibit his typing abilities, and starts reading over what he’s got so far, which isn’t much. His eyes scan over the page and if Mark’s typing falters a little bit from the sudden nervousness of being watched, Jeno won’t say anything.

 

“You missed some punctuation up here, hyung. And this sentence doesn’t really...make sense.” he says, pointing with his fingers. Mark stares at the spots, scanning for mistakes, and sighs.

 

“Wow. I never would have noticed that. Thanks.” Mark says. Jaemin complains that all their interactions lack things like  _ spice _ and  _ romance  _ (Jaemin’s words, not Jeno’s), but Jeno just thinks that’s how Mark is, and he doesn’t mind it. It prevents a lot of the embarrassment that comes along with being called pet names in public or overwhelming PDA. Jeno might be pretty comfortable around his friends but he is a shy person at heart, and even hand holding can feel a bit excessive to him at times. He thinks Mark is similar. He thinks that’s probably why they work so well together.

 

Doyoung is sweeter. He says that what him and Mark have is a mature relationship. Not the Rated MA kind, but the kind of relationship where two people are comfortable with each other and understanding and they can exist as individuals at the same time. Doyoung says it’s healthy, and not all relationships are the same. All that matters is that they’re happy. 

 

So Jaemin expresses continual dissatisfaction at the fact that, in his eyes, Mark doesn’t really act like Jeno is his boyfriend or show much affection towards him, but that’s just because Mark finds it a little embarrassing. They haven’t been together that long either, just three months, and they’re still trying to figure this all out. Jeno thinks part of it is his fault. He’s just so scared of being burdensome that sometimes he lets himself fade into the background. It’s always worked well for him in groups, but it doesn’t work well when there’s only two people in the room and one of them in Jeno and the other is his boyfriend.

 

“Hey, Mark?” Jeno asks, after a bit of silence. “Would it be easier for you if I left?” Jeno says, because honestly, he’s feeling a bit lonely. It’s not Mark’s fault. They’re all students, and they need to get their work done. It’s the main priority. Being someone who also is an infamous goody-two-shoes and cares a lot about his grades, Jeno understands that more than anything, and maybe Jaemin’s words are getting under his skin, but he feels like a burden in Mark’s room, saying nothing as Mark taps on his keyboard and knowing that if he  _ does  _ say anything it’ll be a distraction.

 

He also feels like it’s a little unfair to Mark too though, because Mark warned him. It’s just that this is all they do now, and Jeno could bring work to do too, but he misses being with  _ Mark,  _ instead of Mark and his six textbooks that are slowly but surely giving him scoliosis. Jeno has seen the x-rays of people with scoliosis.  _ Ouch.  _

 

“Jeno…” Mark says, and stops typing. “You’re not happy being here, are you?” Jeno’s instinct is to deny that, get far away from the source of conflict, that question, and smile until Mark lets it go. He’s trying to work on that. 

 

“It’s...a little lonely,” Jeno admits. “But I’m not upset with you. You told me you’d be busy and everything. It just feels like...you’re always busy. And I get that, you know? I do. That’s college for you, and-”

 

“Jeno,” Mark says, putting his laptop to the side. He glances at it briefly to make sure the most recent changes were saved in his Google doc, and then he shuts it. He pats his lap. “Come here,” he says, and Jeno comes over and sits, but he does it with the facial expression of a puppy that is about to be scolded. 

 

“You do this thing. Do you realize you’re doing it? You say how you feel and then you backtrack and try to like, explain why it’s dumb that you feel that way. Do you think I’m going to get mad at you or something?” It’s so hard to make eye contact. It almost hurts, but Jeno wants to work on that too. So he looks, even if it feels like he’s staring into the sun. He can’t hold it for long, has to give his eyes and soul a break and looks away. 

 

“I think so. Or- I don’t know. I just don’t like causing problems or making people upset.”

 

“But I was making you upset,” Mark reasons. “That was okay?”

 

“It was something I could deal with.”

 

“But Jeno,” Mark says in the same tone he’s always used when he’s trying to have a  _ teachable moment _ with him, in what Haechan calls his  _ hyung voice _ . “It doesn’t actually help anybody if you just keep  _ ‘ _ dealing _ ’ _ with things that make you upset. Eventually you can’t ‘deal’ with them anymore. We’re dating, you know? You’re my boyfriend. I don’t get to like, just ignore you because I’m a college student. You’re a college student too and you made time to sit here with me in my boring dorm room while I type up a history paper and don’t even look at you. I can put some more effort into this relationship too.”

 

“This is interrupting your paper,” Jeno says weakly, because he doesn’t know what to say back to what Mark just told him. It’s all correct, and he appreciates what Mark said. Someone else would probably be frustrated at Jeno’s (seeming) lack of comprehension of what they just said, but Mark  _ knows  _ Jeno. He really knows him, so he just laughs.

 

“Forget the damn paper!” he says, and shakes his legs a bit so Jeno shakes with them. It draws a smile out of him, though that’s not hard to do. “Seriously. I’ll finish it later. Missing out on a few hours of sleep is worth it if it’s for you.”

 

“Oh, hyung,” Jeno laughs. “Jaemin would die if he heard you say that. He always tells me you’re not ‘spicy’, whatever that means.” Jeno says, doing air quotes with his fingers as he quotes him. 

 

“Look,” Mark laughs. “I know Jaemin, and I know what his definition of the word ‘spicy’ is, and I’m  _ glad  _ he doesn’t think I’m spicy. I can, however, be spontaneous. Wanna go get some ice cream?”

 

“It’s cold out,” Jeno says. It’s not a  _ no,  _ but it’s something that factors into his answer. Mark will have to work pretty hard to make that something that’s worth putting up with.

 

“Then I’ll just have to keep you warm. And I’ll pay.”

 

“I’ll get my coat,” Jeno says, pretending to get up. Mark pulls him back down and they both laugh. 

 

“When my wallet is empty and your stomach is full of Sweet Cream or whatever flavor you get, remember that it was because I love you, Jeno Lee.” Mark laughs. Jeno knows Mark loves him, because he can feel it in how he talks and looks at him and holds him like right now, but it’s different to hear him outright say it, to say it and not even try to distance himself from it after. Jeno does that. He’s trying to work on that. 

 

“I always know that,” Jeno says, albeit a bit quietly, and Mark leans down to kiss him on the mouth. It’s hard because they’re both kind of smiling into it, which makes it hard for a kiss to actually happen, but then they manage to relax their muscles. It feels nice to be close to Mark like this. Jeno has been floating around him like a stray planet or something lately, just happy to be in Mark’s presence while Mark does things, but it gets lonely, like in space no one can hear you if you cry out for help. It does him good to feel Mark beneath him and get the verbal affirmation that Mark really does love him, that he does want him around, and Mark putting his laptop away and suggesting they get ice cream means a lot to Jeno, because he knows how much getting that A means to Mark. 

 

As they kiss, Jeno distantly thinks that time is melting away like ice cream. They should probably go and come back soon, but he can’t bring himself to break away. He’s missed Mark, he really has.

 

The door to the dorm room bursts open and Jeno is so startled by 1) the ridiculously loud sound the door makes after being in such serene quiet for so long and 2) the prospect of someone seeing him and Mark kissing that he practically throws himself off the bed. If it weren’t for Mark’s startle response being to hold Jeno firmly in place, Jeno would definitely have a concussion by now. 

 

The person who so gently entered the room is  _ Jaemin _ , who stares at Jeno sitting in Mark’s lap with nothing short of devilish glee on his face and his smile spread unnervingly wide across his face. He makes eye contact with Jeno.

 

“Not a word,” Jeno says. “Not one word. Don’t say anything.”

 

“Listen,” Jaemin says, taking things out of his desk drawer and grabbing a pen. “I’m just relieved that you and Mark actually like, do couple things. I was starting to think this was some elaborate bro scheme of yours and you guys had a bet going or something, that you were just trying to trick all of us. Whenever you hang out with us you guys act like you don’t know each other. I get not liking PDA, but damn, live a little. Anyways, I have to get back to a study session in the lounge with Renjun. Let me know if I should find somewhere else to sleep tonight.” Jeno finds the nearest pillow and chucks it at Jaemin’s head with unrestrained force.

 

“Shut up!” he says. “I should sexile you just for being annoying. I hate that you know I’m me, and would never do that! I  _ am  _ too nice, just like Yuta hyung always says. This sucks!” Jeno says, and throws another pillow at Jaemin where he is still laughing like a wild hyena at Jeno’s misery. 

 

“Jeno,” Mark laughs in disbelief. “No more pillows. If you give Jaemin a concussion he’s gonna fail that math test coming up even harder than he’s already going to fail it. It’s not worth it. Plus I put my face on those.”

 

“Sorry,” Jeno says, laying his head against Mark’s chest, defeated. He would be more embarrassed, but he’s kind of over it now. 

 

“It’s okay,” Jaemin says, picking up his bag. 

 

“I wasn’t talking to you!” Jeno shoots back. “Anyways, Mark and I are getting ice cream. Do you want us to bring you back anything?” Mark whines.

 

“Jeno, I don’t have  _ that  _ much money.” Jeno bats his hand away.

 

“I’m not  _ rude.  _ I wasn’t even going to let you pay for mine, and I definitely wasn’t going to volunteer you to pay for Jaemin’s.”

 

“Cookie dough,” Jaemin says. He smiles sweetly. “Thank you!” he says in a cutesy voice, but Jeno won’t look at him.

 

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll get Renjun something, too.” Mark pouts.

 

“Why won’t you let me be a good boyfriend and pay for your ice cream?”

 

“Yeah,” Jaemin says. “You could never be a sugar baby. He’s waving money right in front of your face and you’re refusing. It makes me sick.” 

 

“Oh, will you just get out of here already?” Jeno says.

  
  
  


Jeno ends up letting Mark buy his ice cream, but he’s not  _ happy _ about it.

 

“You beg me to buy you food all the time!” Mark says, after he’s handed the cashier his card.

 

“Yeah, but I’m kidding! I feel awful when you buy me food. I’m eating your blood, sweat, and tears.”

 

“Please don’t call the money I earn from my part time job that.” He shakes his head, as if to shake the gross visual out of his mind. “Ew. Also, you let Doyoung pay for your food like all the time.”

 

“That’s different! That’s hyung money. Also, nothing brings Doyoung hyung greater joy than buying me things. Sometimes he asks me if I need things and I just say yes to humor him. I have an apple peeler, hyung. Do you think I eat enough apples to warrant having a peeler specifically for apples? No, but I took it because Doyoung is my hyung and I want him to be happy.”

 

“I’m literally your hyung.” Mark deadpans.

 

“But you’re not just any hyung. You’re my boyfriend. It’s just different.”

 

“Whatever you say.”

 

“I’m buying for you next time.”

 

“What? No! This isn’t a two way street.”

 

“Hyung, I told you when you translate English sayings into Korean it doesn’t make sense. What do you mean?”

 

“You can’t buy me food. It’s- It’s not right! It’s wrong!” 

 

“We have to get back before the ice cream melts!” Jeno says, realizing the critical situation they’re in. They’re lucky it’s cold outside, Jeno thinks, and that he had the foresight to get them in little dishes instead of cones. He’s already made  _ that  _ mistake once. 

 

“Here you guys go,” Mark says when they return to the lounge. “Jaemin, we have your cookie dough. Renjun, we didn’t know what you liked so we just got you vanilla.”

 

“Fine with me,” Renjun shrugs. “I didn’t even know I was getting ice cream.”  _ Dammit, my $3.74,  _ Jeno mourns.

 

“Well we couldn’t show up with ice cream for everyone except you. That’d be like, sad or something.” Jeno says, shrugging and digging into his own ice cream with a spoon. 

 

“I do that to Donghyuk all the time,” Renjun says, smiling. Jaemin laughs. 

 

“Oh, Renjun. Did I tell you? I walked in on Mark and Jeno-” Mark covers Jaemin’s mouth with one of his hands, but Jeno pulls him away.

 

“No! We need to let him finish. It sounds worse if he doesn’t finish.” Jeno begs, and Mark groans and lets go.

 

“They were  _ kissing _ , and Jeno was in Mark hyung’s lap. Can you believe they kiss? They’re actually acting like a couple for once.”

 

“Well I’m sorry we don’t go around making out in front of everyone,” Mark says.

 

“Me too.” Jaemin says, which makes Jeno let out a confused sound, eyes shaking. “You two are both so handsome. I wouldn’t mind-” This time it’s Renjun smacking him up the head with his free hand. He looks like he’s gotten the angle that elicits the most pain down to an exact science.

 

“Stop being weird, dumbass.” Renjun says. “I for one am very glad you two keep your romantic activities private. I’ve seen too much in my time. Far too much.”

 

“Injunnie thinks kissing is gross,” Jaemin laughs. “Like a 5 year old.”

 

“It is gross,” Jeno says, ignoring Mark’s offended face. “I mean, it just is. That’s why I wipe Mark’s mouth off with a Clorox wipe every time.”

 

“Was that a joke?” Jaemin asks, squinting. Jeno takes a bite of his ice cream.

 

“It was, and it was funny.”

 

“To who?” Jaemin asks. Jeno takes another bite of ice cream. He doesn’t have to dignify that with a response.

 

“Jaemin said I should break up with Mark and become a sugar baby,” Jeno announces.

 

“What? Jaemin, you fucking idiot.” Renjun says. Mark laughs into his hand, Jeno smiling into the dish as he watches Jaemin get scolded.

 

“I did not! I said Jeno would make a horrible sugar baby. So I kind of said the opposite if anything.”

 

“None of you should be sugar babies,” Donghyuk says, coming in and dropping his backpack on the ground. “You lack the finesse. And Jeno would pee his pants if someone messaged him offering him money. He’d feel like he was going to go to jail any minute.” Maybe Donghyuk is right. Jeno doesn’t have to answer that. 

 

“It’s a waste, though.” Donghyuk says. “Because someone with their life as well put together as Jeno could probably juggle like six sugar daddies, and he has the looks to back it up. Wait a second, Jeno can you send me some selfies. I’m trying to see something.”

 

“Donghyuk, you cannot use my boyfriend’s selfies to set up a sugar baby profile online. I won’t allow it.” Jeno is a bit of a goody-two-shoes, and so is Mark. Jeno is trying to work on it, but Mark isn’t.

 

“Give me half the money.” Jeno says, licking the last bit of ice cream off his spoon.

 

“Jeno!” Mark says, absolutely scandalized. Renjun laughs around his spoon.

 

“I can’t be boring  _ and _ poor, Mark hyung. I’m not even doing any of the work. This way I can be boring and like,  _ middle class. _ ”

 

“Sexy, isn’t it?” Donghyuk says. “And you’d obviously get 40%. I’ll be doing all the work, you just have to send pics when I ask.”

 

“No sexual pictures,” Mark insists. “Please. We have to draw the line somewhere. My dad works at a church.”

 

“Jeno would never. He would also feel like he would go to jail for that.” Jeno doesn’t have the excuse of eating ice cream anymore to avoid responding to that.

 

“Okay, yeah. That’s true. I’m actually a little anxious just thinking about it.” Renjun facepalms.

 

“This is good, I can still show my face in church.” Mark says, mostly to himself.

 

“Is that all you care about?”

 

“It’s sort of my baseline for what behavior of mine is and isn’t acceptable,” Mark admits. “I feel like if I can’t look at the churchgoers in the eyes, I’ve gone too far. I’ve lost myself.” Everyone turns to stare at Jeno.

 

“Don’t look at me. This is all him.”

 

“And you love that about me,” Mark says, kissing Jeno on the mouth, just quickly. The others erupt in various screams and shouts and Jeno processes it too late to move away before the others can see. He buries his face in Mark’s neck in shame.

 

“Hyung.” he whines.

 

“What is it, honey?” Mark asks, and now Jeno knows Mark is messing with him too.

 

“You are all so mean to me. Every single one of you. Mean.”

 

“Aw, pumpkin, don’t be like that,” Jaemin says, but Jeno surges forward to knock him to the ground. He’s too nice to actually hurt him, but a little wrestling seems appropriate considering how many times Jaemin has been sassy today.

 

“Mark hyung!” Jaemin cries. ”Are you just going to let your boyfriend be all over me like this? Doesn’t it make you mad?”

 

“Jeno, forget what I said earlier about the concussion. Don’t hold back.”


End file.
